To help your small business flourish you need a team of individuals with diverse skillsets and backgrounds who can work together. That may sound like a steep endeavor, but when you really get down to it, it’s not all that much, at least not if you know how to recruit.

Finding a good job candidate is a lot like finding a good general liability insurance quote with CoverHound—all it takes is a little research and ingenuity to get the results you’re looking for. After all, starting a small business takes gumption, charisma and brains, but that’s all for nothing if you can’t find talented employees and retain them.

The American Workforce
The labor market is changing. Unemployment is at a low 4.9 percent and employers are beginning to offer remote positions or working days with flexible hours. Working in a salaried position from home is a sought-after prize. You don’t have to be a full-time employee to reap those benefits either.

People aren’t inhibited by working in a typical cubicle office space anymore. 53 million Americans work as freelancers, getting their work done from home or the nearest coffee shop. They are able to set their own hours and work on projects they have an interest in. With the way the job market is going, you will have to prove to employed candidates and freelancers why your company is the better business to work for. Until you are able to do that, the resumes you receive will be less than stellar and just slightly more than mediocre.

To really get your business up off the ground, you need a team of passionate go-getters. You need employees who will go the extra mile to satisfy a client or finish a project before the deadline. This is where hiring a recruiter will serve you: the recruiter casts the net; you bring in the candidates.

If you’re not able to hire a recruiter right off the get-go, that’s okay, you can do the recruiting yourself. Just follow these recruiting strategies!

Host a Mixer
This may sound a little odd, but according to the consulting startup I Love Rewards Inc., it works. 1,200 applicants had applied to various positions at the company, with all applicants invited to attend an event sponsored by the company. Of the 1,200 applicants, only 400 showed up. This eliminated the remaining 800 applicants who didn’t make an effort to at least show their faces at the event. If they aren’t willing to come to visit the company for a meet and greet, how willing are they going to be to work overtime? Termed the “Open House” strategy, mixers like the one sponsored by I Love Rewards shows you who is really interested in working for the company, and who isn’t.

Connect with the Candidate
When you look through LinkedIn or other social sites to take a better look at a candidate who has applied to a position within your business, you may find someone else not actively seeking a job (and employed somewhere else) who would make a better fit.

If you are interested in having that person come work for you, research them. Find out their interests and learn about what projects they have worked on and are proud of. After learning this information, craft a well-worded email and ask if you can speak with them about a job opportunity. Tell them how the open position in your company aligns perfectly with their skillset, while providing room to grow. When you are able to connect with a candidate on a personal level, they are more willing to see the benefits of living the current job and going to work for you.

Tap into Social Media
No one will know you’re hiring if you don’t advertise. Don’t stick with just LinkedIn, Monster and Craigslist either. Advertise your company job posting using Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Start a conversation on social media and get people talking. According to BetterTeam, 75 percent of people who are not actively searching for a new job would take a look at a job offer if one was extended to them.

There’s a lot you need to do to hire a good team, but if you follow this guide, you should be well on your way to hiring talent. For more small business advice and free small business insurance quotes, visit CoverHound.